In the field of civil engineering it is known to use gabions to contain aggregate such as stones or rocks to form shoring blocks. These containers are usually made of metal wire or, sometimes, plastic mesh. A three dimensional cellular confinement structure formed from plastics, for example Presto Geoweb®, is known to be used for soil stabilization purposes. For military applications there have been proposed rigid plastic construction blocks that can be rapidly deployed and stacked to form protective barriers, such as Hesco® Blastbloc®. However, units made of metal or plastic materials are often heavy and difficult to transport. In a military application, when subjected to a ballistic attack these units can break into dangerous fragments that cause secondary damage.
Cellular confinement systems utilising a three dimensional geotextile ‘honeycomb’ structure, such as are available from Fiberweb Geosynthetics Ltd. (formerly Terram Ltd.), are known to provide ground stabilisation across a wide variety of applications. A cellular geotextile confinement system designed for military applications is also sold under the brand DefenCell™ for force protection, blast mitigation and ballistic protection. These systems can confine a range of fill materials within the cells formed of flexible geotextile material. While cellular confinement structures formed of geotextile materials are lightweight and easy to handle, they can be easily damaged and often require a temporary structure or frame to assist with installation.
The present invention seeks to mitigate the problems outlined above and to provide an improved confinement structure for use in both military and civil applications.